Legislation that would give employers more flexibility to reduce workers’ hours rather than lay them off may win final passage this fall, according to Illinois Sen. Steve Stadelman.

The Rockford Democrat is co-sponsoring Senate Bill 3530 with Democrat Sen. Napoleon Harris of Harvey. It won House approval and passed the Senate as a shell bill, keeping the legislation alive for the next session. The Legislature generally approves dozens of shell bills that contain little or no wording, adding legislation later to speed the approval process.

“I’m hoping by the fall veto session, I’ll be able to move it forward,” Stadelman said. “It would save jobs. Manufacturing, in particular, would benefit from this.”

SB 3530 not only would permit a reduction of hours rather than layoffs, it also would allow the worker with reduced hours to apply for unemployment benefits, Stadelman said.

The proposed legislation has fans among local businesses and labor representatives. They said the Rockford-area unemployment postings and manufacturing base has them more interested than usual in Stadelman’s proposed bill.

Tim Drea of the AFL-CIO in Springfield has been working with Stadelman to get the legislation approved. Drea said the legislation would help businesses keep their skilled workers. Their skilled workers can keep their jobs, health insurance, pensions and benefits. The workers don’t have to start all over again.

“It helps workers who have been with an employer for a long time,” Drea said. “Overall, it is a big plus to the workforce.”